Workman&#39;s time-recorder.



G. O. HARRIS 61: D. A. STOWELL.

WORKMANS TIME RECORDER. APPLICATION FILED JAN.18,' 1913.

1,095, 1 58. Patented Apr. 28, 191i Fig.1.

DAI LY TIME CARD j NA DAJTE No.

EXTRA TIME REGULAR TIME AVCINOW SUNDAY Avuuns NI NI Fig.4. '4 Witnesses. 8 8x 0 Inventors. d. Car-1C. Harris DesrieA.StoweH W "J W MM Attys.

coLuIllA PIANOGRAFH CO..WA3H|NOTON, n. c.

UNITED STA'IlliZS PATENT OFFICE.

CARL C. HARRIS, OF ORANGE, AND DESRIE A. STOWELL, OF GARDNER, MASSACHU- SETTS, ASSIGNORS TO SIMPLEX TIME RECORDER COMPANY, OF GARDNER, MASSA- CHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

WORKMANS TIME-RECORDER.

Application filed January 18, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CARL C. HARRIS and DESRIE A. S'rownLL, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Orange, county of Franklin, State of Massachusetts, and Gardner, county of I/Vorcester, State of Massachusetts, respectively, have invented an Improvement in VVorkmens Time-Itecorders, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to apparatus for recording on a suitable card or other cheek certain desired times, such as the time a workman enters or leaves his place of employment, the time of beginning and encling a certain piece of Work, etc., each employee having his individual card. The card is used for any convenient period, and the records on the card determine the compensation due the workman for the given period. In our present invention, which relates to that type of time-recording apparatus in which the proper positioning of the card to receive the desired record is effected by the employee, we are not concerned with the particular character or construction of the recording mechanism, as the same may be of any suitable or Well known structure arranged for manual operation. Time recorders of this general type are provided with an indicator or pointer fixed with relation to the record-making point of the apparatus, and by which the employee positions the card for getting in, out or other record impressed thereupon, the cards having appropriate spaces thereon marked In, Out, etc. Such recorders have a common objection attendant upon their use, namely, the making of many errors in recording when located in dark or poorly lighted places, and by persons of limited intelligence. In many instances the printed matter on the card is hard to read, owing to insuilicient light, and if the employee is of limited intelligence the printed matter on the card is not a suflicient aid, and poor records are made, one overlapping another; or an in record will be made when an out Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

Serial No. 742,771.

record is desired, or vice versa. This is most objectionable, for it makes the computation of the employees time a difficult matter, and errors are certain to result in allotting the compensation.

In our present invention we use a record card having a desired or pro-arranged series of record-receiving spaces visually difi'erentiated by strongly contrasted indicia, or index areas, as we have termed them, and the card-positioning indicator has displayed upon it a set of strongly contrasted indicia or index areas corresponding characteristically to those upon the card. That is, if for instance the in record-receiving spaces on the card are all provided with light index areas, and the out spaces are all provided with dark index areas, then the indicator is provided with a set of light and dark index areas, the former for in and the latter for out records. By this arrangement the employee is greatly as sisted in properly positioning his card for record by the visual relation between a given index area on the card and the cone sponding index area on the indicator. The employee, even if illiterate or not very intelligent, very quickly associates a dark index area on his card with one kind of record, and a light index area with another kind of record, the corresponding index areas on the card and indicator being clearly visible even if the light is so poor as to make it diflicult to read printed'matter on the card, and the positioning of the card becomes a matter of observing strongly contrasted and boldly displayed index areas instead of an attempt to read words on the card printed necessarily in rather small type.

The novel features of our invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a workmans time-recorder embodying one practical form of our invention; Fig. 2 is a face view, centrally broken out to save space of one of the individual cards or checks to be used in connection with our present inven tion; Fig. 3 is a perspective view, much en lar index areas 16, 17, Fig. 3, strongly contrasted by making one light and the other dark, and as the dark index areas on the card indicate out records We display in light letters the word Out on the dark rectangle 17, and display in dark lettering the word In on the light index area or rectangle 16. The order, or special arrangement, in which the index areas appear on the indicator is not of material moment so long as the indicia on the indicator correspond characteristically with those upon the card, as the object of the indicia on the head of the indicator 14 is to facilitate, by the visual relation between a given index area on the card and the corresponding index area on the card, the positioning of the card in the card-receiver by placing the proper record-receiving space on the card at the recordmaking point; As the indicia on the indicator are so much larger than those on the card the former can be read easily even in a very poorly lighted room, whereby if an employee is in doubt as to the actual significance of the contrasting indices he can easily satisfy himself by reading the large and plain lettering on the indicator.

While it is not absolutely necessary to do so, we prefer to make that part of the indicator 1 t which is nearest the positioned card substantially the width of one of the index areas, as is shown in Fig. 3, for the employee has then only to position the desired characteristic index area squarely with relation to the pointer to insure the desired record in the proper space on the card. The back or stop 10, Fig. 4:, is so located that when the card is placed in the card-receiver with the rear edge of the card against the stop the series of index areas in the column 18 of the card will all be exposed beyond the plane of the front wall 1* of the casing and upon which we have shown the indicator 1i mounted fixedly. The card is moved longitudinally in the receiver, upon the shelf 7 thereof, until the proper index area is brought opposite the lower end of the pointer, whereupon the apparatus is operated to make the record. As each set of spaces 12 for any given day is grouped opposite and adjacent the longitudinal day space it is very easy to distinguish the spaces for one day from those for another day, so that no confusion on this account is liable to arise, and the strongly contrasting index areas of the record-receiving spaces of a day set are readily distinguished by the employee as hereinabove pointed out.

Our invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement herein shown and described as the same may be modified or re-arranged in different particulars by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set forth in the annexed claims.

Having fully described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a workmans time recorder, in con bination, time controlled means to make a record, a receiver adapted to receive temporarily a card having a series of record-roceiving spaces arranged in a predetermined order and visually differentiated by strongly contrasted index areas, and a card-positioning indicator by reference to which the card may be positioned manually in the receiver for the impress of the record in the different spaces, said indicator being fixedly mounted with respect to the record-making point ant having displayed upon it a plurality of strongly contrasted index areas corresponding clniracteristically to those upon the card, whereby the positioning of a card in the receiver is facilitated by the visual relation be tween the index areas on the card and indicator.

2. In a workmans time recorder, in combination, a casing, time controlled means therein to make a record, a receiver adapted to receive ten'iporarily a card having in and out record receiving spaces arranged alternately one below the other with adjacent spaces visually differentiated by contiguous light and dark index areas, a card positioning indicator by reference to which a card may be positioned manually in the receiver to receive a record in the desired space, said indicator being mounted upon the exterior of the casing adjacent the card receiver and fixed with respect to the recordmaking point and having displayed thereupon adjacent light and dark index areas corresponding to the in and out indices upon the card, corresponding indices on the card, and an indicator facilitating the placing of a card in the receiver with the desired record-receiving space on the card in position to receive a record.

3. In a workmans time recorder, in combination, an inclosing casing provided with time controlled means to make a. record, a receiver adapted to receive temporarily a card having a series of spaces for receiving records of different kinds visually differentiated from each other by strongly contrasted index areas adjacent the inner ends of the spaces, and a card-positioning indicator by reference to which the card may be accuately positioned manually for the impress of the record in the proper space, said indicator being mounted exteriorly on the casing and fixed with respect to the record-making point and having a part thereof close to the mouth of the receiver and of a width substantially equal to that of a record-receiving space on the card, the indicator having also displayed upon it, a. set of strongly contrasted enlarged index areas corresponding characteristically to those upon the card, the visual relation established between a particular index area upon the card and the characteristically corresponding area displayed on the indicator facilitating the accurate positioning of the card in the receiver for the reception of the desired record in the proper space thereupon.

In a workmans time recorder, in combination, a casing time controlled means therein to make a record, a card receiver within which a record card may be manually positioned to receive a record, and a cardpositioning indicator, said card having recold-receiving spaces marked thereon and said indicator having a part thereof adjacent said card receiver of a width substantially equal to one of said spaces, said indicator also having displayed thereon a set of strongly contrasted index areas.

5. In a Workmans time-recorder, in combii'iation a casing having inclosed therein time controlled means to make a record, a

card-receiver arranged horizontally in the casing and having an elongated opening for the reception of a record card and permitting manual lengthwise adjustment therein relative to the record-making point, a stop to engage the rear edge of the card and limit the distance the card can be inserted in the receiver, and an indicator mounted on the casing above the mouth of the receiver, and fixed with respect to the record-making point, said indicator having displayed thereupon characteristically different and strongly contrasted indieia to correspond with similar indicia on the card.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CARL C. HARRIS. DESRIE A. STOWELL. Witnesses Tl-IA'l'OIlER B. DUNN, Fnonnncn L. Moore.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

